A Rural Generalist doctor who works with the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Port Augusta in South Australia, and is known for his compassionate mentoring of medical students and junior doctors, is the recipient of the ACRRM-RDAA Rural Registrar of the Year Award for 2021.
Dr James Padley was presented with the award at the Rural Medicine Australia (RMA21) Virtual conference on Friday night.
The award is presented annually by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), and recognises an ACRRM Registrar who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and advocacy in the field of rural and remote medicine.
Dr Padley had originally trained in anaesthetics and intensive care, and planned to become a specialist anaesthetist - but his rural upbringing, combined with exposure to rural practice through clinical placements, ultimately inspired him to decide on rural general practice as his preferred career.
He commenced training as a GP Registrar on the ACRRM Independent Pathway in 2019.
He now combines rural general practice with work in anaesthetics and emergency medicine - something he describes as an ideal mix.
He also fulfils his passion for teaching and mentoring medical students, working part-time as a clinical teacher at Flinders University until July last year and, more recently, in a newly created role with the University of Adelaide as a Rural Careers Mentor.
ACRRM President, Dr Sarah Chalmers, said: "James is a truly outstanding recipient of this year's award. His work in anaesthetics, intensive care, emergency medicine and general practice has seen him provide medical care in numerous rural locations, from Wagga Wagga to Broken Hill, and Angaston to Port Augusta.
"He has also contributed significantly to the development of the future rural doctor workforce, through his keen interest in clinical education.
"Those who nominated James for this award highlighted his strong commitment to mentoring medical students and junior doctors. He also has a strong interest in student welfare and has undertaken research in this area, resulting in a recent publication about work-readiness in medical interns.
"His genuine desire to make the journey a better supported one for medical students and junior doctors, as they move into their first years of medical practice, is highly commendable."
RDAA President, Dr John Hall, said: "James is a compassionate medical educator, who is not only proactive in ensuring strong support for medical students and junior doctors in general, but also in ensuring culturally safe learning environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students and young doctors.
"His enthusiasm in supporting medical students saw him contribute key academic leadership at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in Flinders University managing to keep its medical students in clinical placements at a very difficult time.
"James is equally compassionate in his work as a doctor, placing great value on taking the time at the start of each consultation to really listen to his patients, and to get to know them and their background – not just their immediate health concerns.
"While he enjoys the science behind his work as a doctor, he is also very interested in the 'humanity' of medicine. It is his passion for, and his focus on, both these elements when treating his patients that makes him a great all-round doctor.
"James is also a strong champion of Rural Medicine, providing individual students and junior doctors with advice on how to navigate the system to engage in a rural medical career; and through his university roles and with ACRRM, he has been an ongoing advocate for Rural Generalist training in South Australia.
"James is a very deserving recipient of this year's award, and we warmly congratulate him on receiving it."
Dr Padley said: "I'm humbled to be acknowledged by this award. I have had the benefit of supportive mentors and supervisors, and I hope I have also been able to contribute to mentoring medical students and junior doctors and helping to inspire them towards future rural medical careers.
"ACRRM has been very supportive through my training pathway, and it's fantastic that as a college they prioritise the human side of being a rural registrar and can provide flexible training options in my case, combining clinical work with other roles as well as family life."